Free 11+ guide
Henrietta Barnett Round 2 English: what to practise
HBS Round 2 English lasts 60 minutes. The school does not publish the question types or a marking scheme, and it releases no past papers. Parents who have sat with the paper describe long written answers, so the most useful practice is turning a one-line answer into several sentences: a point, a short quotation, an explanation, then a second point.
Source: HBS admissions and current test notice (accessed 2026-09-24) · Mumsnet: Henrietta Barnett School, Round 2 English (2023) (accessed 2026-09-24)
What the school says, and what it does not
Source: HBS admissions and current test notice (accessed 2026-09-24) · HBS admissions policy for 2027 entry (accessed 2026-09-24)
Round 2 is English and mathematics, pitched at literacy and numeracy appropriate to Key Stage 2. For 2027 entry, English lasts 60 minutes and maths 50 minutes, on 6 October 2026 for invited girls.
The school does not describe the Round 2 question types, publish a marking scheme or release papers. Anything more detailed comes from families or from paper sellers, so treat it as a report, not a rule.
What parents and sellers report
Source: Mumsnet: Henrietta Barnett School, Round 2 English (2023) (accessed 2026-09-24) · Mumsnet: long-form comprehension and creative writing help (2023) (accessed 2026-09-24) · Exam Papers Plus: HBS Stage 2 Practice Test 2 product page (accessed 2026-09-24)
- A parent described three questions needing long answers, close to a page each.
- Another parent said her daughter answered detailed questions with a single line, and ran out of things to say in her writing.
- One seller of HBS-style papers says the format changes each year.
Our reading of these reports: practise the skill of writing at length about a passage, not one predicted layout.
Three things to practise each week
- Stretch one short answer. Take a one-line answer she has written and add the proof and what it shows. Aim for four sentences.
- Make two points, not one. A long answer usually needs a second idea, each with its own short quotation.
- Plan for five minutes, then write an opening for ten. Short, timed writing builds stamina without a full essay every time.
These are our suggestions. They are not an HBS rubric or a promise about the paper.
From one line to a full answer
Worked example Stretch it
Original teaching example. Read: “Mira counted the stairs aloud at first, then stopped counting.” Question: how do Mira’s feelings change as she climbs? A girl writes: “She gets less scared.”
Why this works: A fuller answer: Mira seems nervous at first, because she counts the stairs aloud, perhaps to calm herself in the dark. When she “stopped counting”, she seems to forget her nerves as the climb takes her attention. So her fear fades into curiosity.
Why the tempting route fails: “She gets less scared” names the change but gives no proof and no explanation, so a reader cannot see how she knows.
Try a complete Round Two English task
Source: HBS admissions page (accessed 2026-09-26)
Put the advice above into practice with our free 60 minute English task: an original passage, three written questions and a composition, with model answers and a checklist. There is a written maths set on the same page.
Want to keep going?
The free lesson is a short way to find which English skill needs the most work. Everything above stays free without an account. A free account saves your child's progress through the lessons so you can pick up where you left off.
Or leave your email and we may write, with the school's source link, if a date or rule on this page changes. Nothing is sent automatically, so check the school's own page before you act.
Sources and independence
Sources
HBS admissions and current test notice. Official guidance. Accessed 2026-09-24. Read the official sourcehttps://www.hbschool.org.uk/admissions/
Mumsnet: Henrietta Barnett School, Round 2 English (2023). Parent forum thread, not school guidance. Accessed 2026-09-24. Read the threadhttps://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/4828157-henrietta-barnett-school
HBS admissions policy for 2027 entry. Official guidance. Accessed 2026-09-24. Read the official sourcehttps://henrietta-barnett.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/10095733/Admissions-Policy-2027-2028.pdf
Mumsnet: long-form comprehension and creative writing help (2023). Parent forum thread, not school guidance. Accessed 2026-09-24. Read the threadhttps://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/4821998-long-form-comprehension-creative-writing-help
Exam Papers Plus: HBS Stage 2 Practice Test 2 product page. Commercial product page, not school guidance. Accessed 2026-09-24. Read the product pagehttps://exampapersplus.co.uk/browse/papers/eleven-plus/11-plus-exam-the-henrietta-barnett-school-stage-two-practice-test-2/
Accessed 2026-09-24. Independent preparation, not affiliated with or endorsed by the school or test provider. Activities and routines are our suggestions, not official questions, marking schemes or promises of admission. Check the entry year before using a policy.